Abstract
Background: Disordered eating (DE) is common and is associated with body mass index (BMI). We investigated whether genetic variants for BMI were associated with DE. Methods: BMI polygenic scores (PGS) were calculated for participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC; N = 8654) and their association with DE tested. Data on DE behaviors (e.g., binge eating and compensatory behaviors) were collected at ages 14, 16, 18 years, and DE cognitions (e.g., body dissatisfaction) at 14 years. Mediation analyses determined whether BMI mediated the association between the BMI-PGS and DE. Results: The BMI-PGS was positively associated with fasting (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.25, 1.61), binge eating (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.46), purging (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.42), body dissatisfaction (Beta = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.77, 1.22), restrained eating (Beta = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.10, 1.17), emotional eating (Beta = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.052, 0.38), and negatively associated with thin ideal internalization (Beta = −0.15, 95% CI = −0.23, −0.07) and external eating (Beta = −0.19, 95% CI = −0.30, −0.09). These associations were mainly mediated by BMI. Conclusions: Genetic variants associated with BMI are also associated with DE. This association was mediated through BMI suggesting that weight potentially sits on the pathway from genetic liability to DE.
Highlights
Disordered eating (DE) behaviors [1,2,3], including fasting, binge eating, and related cognitions are widely prevalent in the general population (14–22%) and are considered behavioral and psychological features of a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED) [1,4,5,6,7]
To our knowledge this is the largest study to date that has investigated whether a body mass index (BMI)-Polygenic score (PGS) is longitudinally associated with DE in a general population cohort (N = 8654)
We demonstrate that genetic factors that underlie BMI are associated with DE suggesting possible shared genetic etiology between BMI and DE
Summary
Disordered eating (DE) behaviors [1,2,3], including fasting, binge eating, and related cognitions (such as body dissatisfaction) are widely prevalent in the general population (14–22%) and are considered behavioral and psychological features of a clinical diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge-eating disorder (BED) [1,4,5,6,7]. Results: The BMI-PGS was positively associated with fasting (OR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.25, 1.61), binge eating (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.12, 1.46), purging (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02, 1.42), body dissatisfaction (Beta = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.77, 1.22), restrained eating (Beta = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.10, 1.17), emotional eating (Beta = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.052, 0.38), and negatively associated with thin ideal internalization (Beta = −0.15, 95% CI = −0.23, −0.07) and external eating (Beta = −0.19, 95% CI = −0.30, −0.09) These associations were mainly mediated by BMI.
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